Strongly built and possessing a bustling action, Shib Sankar Paul first caught the eye with consistent performances for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. When the selectors gave him a chance on the tour of East Africa in August 2004, he impressed many observers with his composure, ability to hit the deck hard and prise out the best of the opposition batsmen. He offers a workhorse option that the Indian team lacks, and was rewarded with a call-up into India's Test squad for the fourth Test against Australia at Mumbai, in 2004-05.
Dileep Premachandran (October 2004)